Center for Quantum Devices - Journal Articles and Conference Proceedings

Page 1 (17 Items)

1.	Tight-binding theory for the thermal evolution of optical band gaps in semiconductors and superlattices S. Abdollahi Pour, B. Movaghar, and M. Razeghi American Physical Review, Vol. 83, No. 11, p. 115331-1-- March 15, 2011 A method to handle the variation of the band gap with temperature in direct band-gap III–V semiconductors and superlattices using an empirical tight-binding method has been developed. The approach follows closely established procedures and allows parameter variations which give rise to perfect fits to the experimental data. We also apply the tight-binding method to the far more complex problem of band structures in Type-II infrared superlattices for which we have access to original experimental data recently acquired by our group. Given the close packing of bands in small band-gap Type-II designs, k·p methods become difficult to handle, and it turns out that the sp3s* tight-binding scheme is a practical and powerful asset. Other approaches to band-gap shrinkage explored in the past are discussed, scrutinized, and compared. This includes the lattice expansion term, the phonon softening mechanism, and the electron-phonon polaronic shifts calculated in perturbation theory. reprint
2.	Gain-length scaling in quantum dot/quantum well infrared photodetectors T. Yamanaka, B. Movaghar, S. Tsao, S. Kuboya, A. Myzaferi and M. Razeghi Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology-- September 14, 2009reprint
3.	Gain-length scaling in quantum dot/quantum well infrared photodetectors T. Yamanaka, B. Movaghar, S. Tsao, S. Kuboya, A. Myzaferi and M. Razeghi Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 95, No. 9-- August 31, 2009 The gain in quantum dot/quantum well infrared photodetectors is investigated. The scaling of the gain with device length has been analyzed, and the behavior agrees with the previously proposed model. We conclude that we understand the gain in the low bias region, but in the high field region, discrepancies remain. An extension of the gain model is presented to cover the very high electric field region. The high field data are compared to the extended model and discussed. reprint
4.	Quantum dot in a well infrared photodetectors for high operating temperature focal plane arrays S. Tsao, T. Yamanaka, S. Abdollahi Pour, I-K Park, B. Movaghar and M. Razeghi SPIE Proceedings, San Jose, CA Volume 7234-0V-- January 25, 2009 InAs quantum dots embedded in InGaAs quantum wells with InAlAs barriers on InP substrate grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are utilized for high operating temperature detectors and focal plane arrays in the middle wavelength infrared. This dot-well combination is unique because the small band offset between the InAs dots and the InGaAs well leads to weak dot confinement of carriers. As a result, the device behavior differs significantly from that in the more common dot systems that have stronger confinement. Here, we present energy level modeling of our QD-QW system and apply these results to interpret the detector behavior. Detectors showed high performance with D* over 10¹⁰ cm·Hz^1/2W^-1 at 150 K operating temperature and with high quantum efficiency over 50%. Focal plane arrays have been demonstrated operating at high temperature due to the low dark current observed in these devices. reprint
5.	Gain and recombination dynamics in photodetectors made with quantum nanostructures: the quantum dot in a well and the quantum well B. Movaghar, S. Tsao, S. Abdollahi Pour, T. Yamanaka, and M. Razeghi Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology, Vol. 18, No. 14-- October 6, 2008reprint
6.	Gain and recombination dynamics in photodetectors made with quantum nanostructures: The quantum dot in a well and the quantum well B. Movaghar, S. Tsao, S. Abdollahi Pour, T. Yamanaka, and M. Razeghi Physical Review B, Vol. 78, No. 11-- September 15, 2008 We consider the problem of charge transport and recombination in semiconductor quantum well infrared photodetectors and quantum-dot-in-a-well infrared detectors. The photoexcited carrier relaxation is calculated using rigorous random-walk and diffusion methods, which take into account the finiteness of recombination cross sections, and if necessary the memory of the carrier generation point. In the present application, bias fields are high and it is sufficient to consider the drift limited regime. The photoconductive gain is discussed in a quantum-mechanical language, making it more transparent, especially with regard to understanding the bias and temperature dependence. Comparing experiment and theory, we can estimate the respective recombination times. The method developed here applies equally well to nanopillar structures, provided account is taken of changes in mobility and trapping. Finally, we also derive formulas for the photocurrent time decays, which in a clean system at high bias are sums of two exponentials. reprint
7.	Gain and recombination dynamics of quantum-dot infrared photodetecto H. Lim, B. Movaghar, S. Tsao, M. Taguchi, W. Zhang, A.A. Quivy, and M. Razeghi Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology-- December 4, 2006reprint
8.	Gain and recombination dynamics of quantum-dot infrared photodetectors H. Lim, B. Movaghar, S. Tsao, M. Taguchi, W. Zhang, A.A. Quivy, and M. Razeghi Physical Review B, 74 (20)-- November 15, 2006 In this paper we present a theory of diffusion and recombination in QDIPs which is an attempt to explain the recently reported values of gain in these devices. We allow the kinetics to encompass both the diffusion and capture rate limited regimes of carrier relaxation using rigorous random walk and diffusion methods. The photoconductive gains are calculated and compared with the experimental values obtained from InGaAs/InGaP/GaAs and InAs/InP QDIPs using the generation-recombination noise analysis. reprint
9.	High-detectivity quantum-dot infrared photodetectors grown by metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition J. Szafraniec, S. Tsao, W. Zhang, H. Lim, M. Taguchi, A.A. Quivy, B. Movaghar and M. Razeghi Applied Physics Letters 88 (121102)-- March 20, 2006 A mid-wavelength infrared photodetector based on InGaAs quantum dots buried in an InGaP matrix and deposited on a GaAs substrate was demonstrated. Its photoresponse at T=77 K was measured to be around 4.7 μm with a cutoff at 5.5 μm. Due to the high peak responsivity of 1.2 A/W and low dark-current noise of the device, a specific peak detectivity of 1.1 x 10¹² cm·Hz^½·W⁻¹ was achieved at −0.9 V bias reprint
10.	Quantum Dot Infrared Photodetectors: Comparison Experiment and Theory H. Lim, W. Zhang, S. Tsao, T. Sills, J. Szafraniec, K. Mi, B. Movaghar, and M. Razeghi Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology 12 (9)-- August 29, 2005reprint
11.	Quantum Dot Infrared Photodetectors: Comparison Experiment and Theory H. Lim, W. Zhang, S. Tsao, T. Sills, J. Szafraniec, K. Mi, B. Movaghar, and M. Razeghi Physical Review B, 72-- August 17, 2005 We present data and calculations and examine the factors that determine the detectivities in self-assembled InAs and InGaAs based quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs). We investigate a class of devices that combine good wavelength selectivity with “high detectivity.” We study the factors that limit the temperature performance of quantum dot detectors. For this we develop a formalism to evaluate the optical absorption and the electron transport properties. We examine the performance limiting factors and compare theory with experimental data. We find that the notion of a phonon bottleneck does not apply to large-diameter lenslike quantum dots, which have many closely spaced energy levels. The observed strong decrease of responsivity with temperature is ultimately due to a rapid thermal cascade back into the ground states. High temperature performance is improved by engineering the excited state to be near the continuum. The good low temperature (77 K) performance in strongly bound QDIPs is shown to be due to the high gain and the low noise achievable in these micron size devices. reprint
12.	Infrared detection from GaInAs/InP nanopillar arrays A. Gin, B. Movaghar, M. Razeghi and G.J. Brown Nanotechnology 16-- July 1, 2005 We report on the photoresponse from large arrays of 40 nm radius nanopillars with sensitivity in the long-wavelength infrared regime. Using photoluminescence techniques, a peak wavelength blue shift of approximately 5 meV was observed at 30 K from GaInAs/InP nanopillar structures, indicating carrier confinement effects. Responsivity measurements at 30 K indicated peak wavelength response at about 8 µm with responsivity of 420 mA/W at −2 V bias. We have also measured the noise and estimated the peak detectivity to be 3×10⁸ cm·Hz^½·W⁻¹ at 1 V reverse bias and 30 K. A maximum internal quantum efficiency of 4.5% was derived from experiment. Both the photo and the dark transport have been successfully modeled as processes that involve direct and indirect field-assisted tunneling as well as thermionic emission. The best agreement with experiment was obtained when allowances were made for the non-uniformity of barrier widths and electric field heating of carriers above the lattice temperature. reprint
13.	Focal plane arrays based on quantum dot infrared photodetectors Manijeh Razeghi; Wei Zhang; Ho-Chul Lim; Stanley Tsao; John Szafraniec; Maho Taguchi; Bijan Movaghar Proc. SPIE 5838, Nanotechnology II, 125 (June 28, 2005);-- June 28, 2005 Here we report the first demonstrations of infrared focal plane array (FPA) based on GaAs and InP based quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs). QDIPs are extension of quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) and are predicted to outperform QWIPs due to their potential advantages including normally incident absorption, higher responsivity and high temperature operation. Two material systems have been studied: InGaAs/InGaP QDIPs on GaAs substrates and InAs QDIP on InP substrates. An InGaAs/InGaP QDIP has been grown on GaAs substrate by LP-MOCVD. Photoresponse was observed at temperatures up to 200 K with a peak wavelength of 4.7 μm and cutoff wavelength of 5.2 μm. A detectivity of 1.2x10¹¹ cm·Hz^1/2/W was obtained at T=77 K and bias of -0.9 V, which is the highest for QDIPs grown by MOCVD. An InAs QDIP structure has also been grown on InP substrate by LP-MOCVD. Photoresponse of normal incidence was observed at temperature up to 160K with a peak wavelength of 6.4 μm and cutoff wavelength of 6.6 μm. A detectivity of 1.0x10¹⁰ cm·Hz^1/2/W was obtained at 77K at biases of -1.1 V, which is the first and highest detectivity reported for QDIP on InP substrate. 256×256 detector arrays were fabricated first time in the world for both the GaAs and InP based QDIPs. Dry etching and indium bump bonding were used to hybridize the arrays to a Litton readout integrated circuit. For the InGaAs/InGaP QDIP FPA, thermal imaging was achieved at temperatures up to 120 K. At T=77K, the noise equivalent temperature difference (NEDT) was measured as 0.509K with a 300K background and f/2.3 optics. For the InP based QDIPs, thermal imaging was achieved at 77 K. reprint
14.	High Detectivity InAs Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetectors Grown on InP by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition W. Zhang, H. Lim, M. Taguchi, S. Tsao, B. Movaghar, and M. Razeghi Applied Physics Letters, 86 (19)-- May 9, 2005 We report a high-detectivity InAs quantum-dot infrared photodetector. The InAs quantum dots were grown by self-assembly on InP substrates via low-pressure metal–organic chemical–vapor deposition. Highly uniform quantum dots with a density of 4×10¹⁰ cm² were grown on a GaAs/InP matrix. Photoresponse was observed at temperatures up to 160 K with a peak of 6.4 µm and cutoff of 6.6 µm. Very low dark currents and noise currents were obtained by inserting Al_0.48In_0.52As current blocking layers. The background-limited performance temperature was 100 K. A detectivity of 1.0×10¹⁰ cm·Hz^½/W was obtained at 77 K with a bias of –1.1 V. reprint
15.	High performance InAs quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIP) on InP by MOCVD W. Zhang, H. Lim, M. Taguchi, S. Tsao, J. Szafraniec, B. Movaghar, M. Razeghi, and M. Tidrow SPIE Conference, Jose, CA, Vol. 5732, pp. 326-- January 22, 2005 Inter-subband detectors such as quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIP) have been widely used in infrared detection. Quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) have been predicted to have better performance than QWIPs including higher operation temperature and normal incidence detection. Here we report our recent results of InAs QDIP grown on InP substrate by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The device structures consist of multiple stacks of InAs quantum dots with InP barriers. High detectivities in the range of 10¹⁰cm·Hz^1/2/W were obtained at 77K. The measurements at higher temperatures show better temperature dependent performance than QWIP. However, the performances of QDIPs are still far from the expected. One of the reasons is the low quantum efficiency due to the low fill factor of quantum dots layer. Resonant cavity enhanced QDIP has been studied to increase the quantum efficiency. Different schemes of mirrors using free carrier plasma and distributed Bragg reflector are discussed. reprint
16.	High performance InGaAs/InGaP quantum dot infrared photodetector achieved through doping level optimization S. Tsao, K. Mi, J. Szafraniec, W. Zhang, H. Lim, B. Movaghar, and M. Razeghi SPIE Conference, Jose, CA, Vol. 5732, pp. 334-- January 22, 2005 We report an InGaAs/InGaP/GaAs quantum dot infrared photodetector grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition with detectivity of 1.3x10¹¹ cm·Hz^½/W at 77K and 1.2x10¹⁰ ccm·Hz^½/W at 120K. Modeling of the Quantum dot energy levels showed us that increased photoresponse could be obtained by doping the quantum dots to 4 electrons per dot instead of the usual 2 electrons per dot. This happens because the primary photocurrent transition is from the first excited state to a higher excited state. Increasing the quantum doping in our device yielded significant responsivity improvement and much higher detectivity as a result. This paper discusses the performance of this higher doping device and compares it to our previously reported device with lower doping. reprint
17.	Transport and Photodetection in Self-Assembled Semiconductor Quantum Dots M. Razeghi, H. Lim, S. Tsao, J. Szafraniec, W. Zhang, K. Mi, and B. Movaghar Nanotechnology, 16-- January 7, 2005 A great step forward in science and technology was made when it was discovered that lattice mismatch can be used to grow highly ordered, artificial atom-like structures called self-assembled quantum dots. Several groups have in the meantime successfully demonstrated useful infrared photodetection devices which are based on this technology. The new physics is fascinating, and there is no doubt that many new applications will be found when we have developed a better understanding of the underlying physical processes, and in particular when we have learned how to integrate the exciting new developments made in nanoscopic addressing and molecular self-assembly methods with semiconducting dots. In this paper we examine the scientific and technical questions encountered in current state of the art infrared detector technology and suggest ways of overcoming these difficulties. Promoting simple physical pictures, we focus in particular on the problem of high temperature detector operation and discuss the origin of dark current, noise, and photoresponse. reprint

Page 1 (17 Items)